


Kogane no Chaya Kara no Monogtari

by Gemini_Spark11



Series: Meet Me at the Avenue Between the Sakura and Purple Heather Hills [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: ??? - Freeform, Astral Projection, Blind Character, Chinese New Year, Fear of Disappointing Someone, Fire, Gen, Historical References, I Don't Even Know, I think those two are the same when you're friends with a Kami, Insecurity, Japan, Japanese Character(s), Japanese Culture, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Kitsune, Legend of Zelda References, Lucid Dreaming, National Foundation Day (February 111th - Nihon/Japan), Near Death Experiences, New York City, Religious Guilt, Sakura viewing, Seasonal Festivals, Self-Insert, Shinto, Spring Equinox, Symbolism, Teleportation, Trigger Waring: Intergerational/Transgenerational Trauma, markets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:07:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26719525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemini_Spark11/pseuds/Gemini_Spark11
Summary: Never trust a yokai, they’ll say. Especially not ones with eyes the colour of liquid gold, and a wistful, all too knowing smile, one that shouldn’t be at home on young faces…Thrown out of one pantheon, I am tripping and stumbling into the arms of another. Layers upon layers of misplaced intergenerational scars are thrust upon the shoulders, a weight that would make even Atlas fall to his knees.Will I fail in the duty of pleasing Them, same as I did before; when I owed my allegiance to those who hailed from the North?Will I be struck by Eros’ arrow once again, like when I fell in love with the not-wolf-in-the-beginning-but-is-one-now, Son of the Fox with the crooked grin?Wish me luck.Title should translate to "Tales from the Golden Teahouse" in Japanese.
Series: Meet Me at the Avenue Between the Sakura and Purple Heather Hills [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949266
Kudos: 4





	1. Sekianoowari (Teikusuri)- End of the World (Take Three)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very sorry if you find the change in synopsis and title disconcerting. Since I've had multiple dreams featuring the same yokai, I thought it would make sense to turn this into a multi-chapter fic.

I found myself in the middle of an empty street. It was probably early evening, judging by the pinkish hues of the sky as I looked up at the clouds. I could tell I was in New York, because of the classic buzzes and beeps of the yellow cab taxis, even though I hadn’t been in one before.

After I finished admiring the artistic colours of the sky, the fluttering of paper scraps brought my attention downwards. I was completely shocked to see a shiny new monument had somehow appeared in the middle of the pavement. _Directly in the middle._ I nervously approached this strange structure, considering I knew that things like this didn’t just appear miraculously.

Once I got close enough to actually read it, my heart jumped in my mouth. I recognised the font instantly.

_Hiragana, the most basic part of the Japanese writing system._

I moved my hand over each letter, marvelling at the soft curves melted into the metal. I felt the freezing steel under my palm, at odds with the warmth of dusk. After doing this for a good few minutes, I was struck by the juxtaposition of these two cultural symbols next to each other.

Only then did I forget to breathe, realising the purpose of this monument. I turned away from it, one hand still reaching behind me to touch the steel. Tears sprang to corner of my eyes, aware of the gravity of this structure. I could barely get this question out of my throat, conscious that I was very close to weeping.

“Alfred, what have you done?” I whispered, grateful that no one was there to witness my emotional attachment to a part of the past that wasn’t even mine.

Even though I did know _what_ he had done, I didn't know _why_ he'd done it; why he felt it was permissible to not just _defeat_ them, but destroy them. He had succeeded in carrying out the prime example of existential horror; the very worst of what humanity could be, bested only by the Holocaust.

_(And yet, he too had the gall to copy Hitler’s techniques; to treat them as subhuman, to round them up like cattle and send them to internment and concentration camps. But then, because Alfie’s an Ally, nobody bats a single eyelid at it! What a bunch of two-faced, seriously twisted, messed up hypocrites have we become?! Which would a normal person say was worse? Auchswitz or Fresno? (Even though both of these places have perpetrated the exact same crime against humanity!), Come on, I know what the majority of people will answer me with. Heck, some people might not even **know what Fresno was in the first place! (Oh, who am I kidding? The majority of the population don’t know!)** )_

I closed my eyes, trying to get myself together and spending a few moments in prayer.

When I managed to calm down, I opened my eyes. I noticed that I was in a completely different place. I was on a dirt path, traditional Japanese houses squished next to each other closely, showing a strong sense of community. I looked up at the sky again. This time, it was a warm orange. It seemed like it was earlier in the day. Small children ran down the gravel path, laughing as they went, carrying beautiful kites with them.

I looked at the house across from me, the one on the other side of the dirt path. Someone who looked similar in age to me had just walked out the front door of the house. Their head was down, looking at something that must have been in their lap. Their kimono was a dusty grey in the shadow of the overhanging roof, painfully close to white.

Suddenly, I wanted to talk to this person. I moved from where I was to just in front of them. I bowed low in greeting, as is customary. The unknown person didn’t look up. I bowed again, saying hello this time. They looked up. I realised then why they hadn’t acknowledged to me the first time: this young person was blind. Their eyes were completely milky, with little blue veins coming out round the edges.

“Do you need something? You look lost.” They asked softly.

With me only mildly horrified by their unseeing eyes, I stuttered out my reply.

“No, I… I only wanted to… to… to chat with you. That’s, uh, all.”

Whoever they were, they seemed completely unfazed by my lack of eloquence.

“No problem. My name’s Kuro Kemuri.”

His relaxed manner put me at ease. Though, something had piqued my curiosity…

“Black Smoke? Who gave you that name?” I asked.

Kuro-kun had already stood up, not facing me. There was an underlying growl in his voice that wasn’t there before. Only one eye was visible, and I could have sworn, that for a minute, his eye shone a brilliant gold.

“I’d prefer not to comment” was all he said icily.

Unsettled by his stark change in demeanour, I followed the young man inside, not forgetting to take off my shoes and switch them for house slippers.

I knelt in front of the centre piece of the room, which was a simple wooden table. Kuro-kun took a few minutes to prepare tea, so I had to wait for him a little bit. When he was finished, he walked over and sat across from me. He was nursing a hot cup of it when he spoke out of the blue.

“You seem troubled.” He intoned softly once again. There was a note of sadness to his voice, maybe a little concern.

“I wanted to ask how long you have been blinded. Have you always been like that?”

“I don’t like to talk about it.” He replied shortly.

“Of course you don’t.” I sighed sadly, frowning.

We continued in silent for a few beats. It surprised me when Kuro-kun began talking again, almost worriedly.

“Something else is bothering you. I know it.”

“I was thinking of spending some time in America.” I blurted out, apparently forgetting that I could have been there just a few hours ago.

His reaction to that last word was only half unexpected. Kuro-kun's hand began to shake subtly and he almost dropped his cup. I watched on as he began to murmur and shake his head. Guilt had me paralysed for a few moments before I finally got my senses about me, as I rapidly reached across the table and gripped his free wrist so hard that I probably made it bleed. I made sure that Kuro-kun was looking directly into my eyes before I spoke, even though I knew it actually didn’t matter if he was doing it or not. Either way, it was an affirmation of my belief.

When he felt me touch him, he looked up, and I was dimly aware of a dull pain in my back from leaning across the table. That didn’t matter right now.

“For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry it happened to your people.” I spoke at a soothing volume, careful not to refer to “it” by its true name.

**~¥ ~~45~~ ¥~**

The door must have been open, because then I heard a girl scream. I ran outside immediately, not bothering to put my shoes back on. There must have been a fire somewhere in the village, because all I could see was smoke. I was bumped about by families trying to escape the blaze, even though I couldn’t pinpoint where it was. In my haste to hurry away from the fire, I suddenly remembered Kuro-kun and panicked. He was nowhere to be seen. I spun around in the middle of the path, calling out his name as loud as I could. It soon became apparent that he wasn’t here. A selfish desire to live suddenly had me in its grasp, and I ran with the crowd towards the village gate.

Or I tried to, at least. Because there was so much smoke obscuring my view of everything, I couldn’t see where I was going. There was a dizzying amount of people pushing and shoving.

I saw the sign of a white kimono within the blackness, and ran towards it. For all I cared at that moment in time, Kuro-kun was synonymous with finding safety.

I felt like I was being pulled down by a multitude of hands as I tried to make my way towards him. I was only a few metres away from Kuro-kun when I drew in a single breath large enough to shout again.

“KURO!”

I managed to reach my arm out long enough to aim for his hand. I succeeded in grasping it for just a few seconds. I felt his skin under my fingers and the way he held my hand for a single moment.

The next moments seemed to happen in excruciatingly slow motion. I extended my fingers out to their limit, aching from the excertion. I reached, open-palmed, but my quest for salvation was fruitless as my hand was met with empty air. As if sensing the pointlessness of it, my hand clenched into a fist against my will. I tried again to pull him towards me, digits brushing against Kuro-kun's hand before my grasp slipped once more, managing contact with his fingers for a split second. Hands that were calloused yet soft in equal measure. Giving one last push, I touched Kuro-kun's hand more fully this time, desperate to survive. Time froze around us in a mocking tableaux of my life, one I was sure that would be my final breaths.. 

I looked up at him, pleading for him to whisk me away. I felt myself being grabbed at again and pulled down, stronger than before. He smiled sadly, but said nothing, and I definitely saw his eyes turn that spectacular gold with a jewel-like shimmer one last time before I hit the ground. I didn’t feel my body actually come in contact with anything.

His face was the last thing I saw.

I woke up.


	2. Kitsune no Okurimono-A Fox's Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My connection with certain truths brings me to a market on the joyful day of a seasonal festival, which leads me to meet with a friendly face for the 2nd time.
> 
> As it turns out, he has a gift and proposal for me, one I am unsure I can fulfil, but also one I am even more unsure if I can turn down...

I found myself, along with my family, in one of those huge convention centres, like the one at the Motorpoint arena. With all the people buying, selling or even just looking at each stall's wares, I could barely hear myself think over the noise of all the bartering and trading that was taking place. I was intrigued by each stall I looked at because they all seemed to be selling something related to Japan or China. I guessed it was either Chinese New Year or the Spring Equinox, since each of the stalls was decked out in bright red cloth. 

I myself had chosen to wear an all red outfit, to go along with this theme.

I continued moving around the convention or festival a little aimlessly. There was so much to choose from; everything they sold here for fit nicely into my interests!

As we walked on, content in the little crowd that had formed around us (even though we were at the back) my sister let loose giggle and pointed at something that was in the far upper right-hand corner of the building. There was a ride, modeled after a Ryu, that was bobbing up and down, with young children on it, laughing rambunctiously.

My sister and my mum then broke off from our little unit, presumably to ask if my sister could ride this mechanical Ryu along with the other children that were already on board. After I watched them move towards it, I laughed fondly, my attention soon returning towards the market stalls.

After another few minutes of simply gazing around, my eyes were drawn towards a stall that was selling incomplete Daruma dolls. What made me even more curious about them was the fact that they had bright pink eyebrows instead of the traditional brown or black. Soon enough, I too broke away from our group, choosing to investigate the stall on my own. When I was a few feet away, a dainty bell-like sound had me looking down towards the floor.

Something that bared resemblance to a tambourine had rolled its way across the convention hall floor, stopping conveniently at my feet. Interested, I picked the tambourine up to examine it.

Like most of the stalls here, it was red, the leather that covered it weathered by a myriad of stains that were mostly dark in colour. I ran my hand over the back of the leather, seemingly entranced by this strange texture on my fingers. I then turned the tambourine over with both hands, letting my eyes admire the pattern on the front of it. It was a strange creature, something between a fox and a Ryu; it was painted in the style of a dragon, but its skin and claws were that of a fox. Conversely, it had the head of a fox, but the twisted horns of a dragon and an elongated tail as well (something which both a Ryu and a fox share.) The unsettling hybrid had white eyes with no pupils, and the same colour markings on its forehead and both cheeks.

 _Someone must be using this,_ I thought suddenly, _I'd better return it to them._

Filled with the new purpose, I lifted my head and took a cursory glance of the market stalls that surrounded me. I noticed there was a boy, leaning with his back to the Daruma stall that that I had intended to buy something from before I got distracted by the tambourine. He was wearing a plain black kimono, but the bottom half of his robe was slightly lighter than the top, closer to an intensely smoky grey.

Assuming that the red Ryu-Fox tambourine belonged to this boy, I quickly made me own way over to him.

I bowed low in greeting without hesitation (long before this point, I quickly adapted to Japanese greetings, thinking that, considering the context, it would make the boy more comfortable if I didn't greet him like a stereotypical ignorant Anglo centric Westerner; he would really appreciate it too) extending my arm that held the tambourine out to him.

"I found this on the floor and I assume it's yours." I said, still in my bowed position, keeping my gaze on the floor, "would you like it back?" When I had finished my piece, I risked a glance at the boy's face, but quickly realised that it was the wrong thing to do. I kept my head down, not even thinking about wanting to sit back up.

_He had golden eyes! That meant… (Oh, no wonder I partially recognised that face!)_

Meanwhile, Kuro-sama had taken the tambourine from my outstretched (now shaking with the strain of bowing so long, and that special kind of apprehension that that comes along with meeting the divine ) hand. He quickly dusted it off with one hand, holding it out to me after He was happy that the tambourine had remained unchanged.

"No. I actually think you should have it." Kuro-sama suggested.

Still bowed, I could barely believe the words coming from His lips. With such a jumbled mix of unidentifiable emotions in me, I couldn't string together a coherent sentence.

"No!" I argued quietly, careful not too seem to loud, as it was probably a mark of disrespect; _**I would not**_ shame myself in front of a Kami! Besides, regardless of our disparity in social standing, we could barely hear ourselves talk over the din of the market. "I mean… It's… It's… It's… It's… It's Yours! I can't just take it like this! Your're a… You're a… You're a…"

Kuro-sama interrupted me in my stuttering, but not unkindly; He was obviously seeking to reassure me and settle my fears. 

"Take it, really. It's a gift." Kuro-sama offered affectionately.

As soon as He had uttered the word "gift" a potent mix of disbelief and almost hysteria had filled my body, making it forego any semblance of proper etiquette. I shot up rapidly from my previous position.

"Me? Take a gift? From You? I can't! I haven't done anything for You!"

Kuro-sama, to my bafflement, remained calm and pleasant, even though I just thrown away proper procedure just like that.

"You have." He said reassuringly

"I haven't!" I protested.

"But you can, you have, and you _will._ " Even though I was probably supposed to find these words comforting, there was this strange certainty to the way He said "will" that put me on the edge, it was as if He was clairvoyant.

_Oh no, He knew what I was going to write about last night…_

When that thought entered my head, all fight left me. My body deflated and began to sag. I didn't want Kuro-sama to become disappointed in me. Somehow, it felt worse than when Vali began to get frustrated with my attempts to help Him; it would feel more distant, more impersonal, colder.

"But nobody reads them anymore…" I stated honestly, quietly, hanging my head in shame.

"They do." Kuro-sama remarked soothingly

I raised my head to Him, about to open my mouth to explain that _no, very few people read my posts now,_ but then loud music began playing around us.

I recognised the opening phases in a second. It was a blend of the tune for the Kakariko village in the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and, I believe, Shen's theme from Kung Fu Panda 2. Consequently, I was too joyful hearing the music from one of my favourite videogame series to be sad for any longer. I started grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Kuro-sama saw my positive change in mood, and smiled.

"Go," He whispered, returning my grin in-kind, looking like He was about to burst into laughter, "go before anyone notices you've disappeared."

For once, I did as I was commanded, and returned to the crowd, now with my Ryu-fox tambourine in hand. It had grown bigger in my absence. I saw my that my family were now at the front of the crowd instead of the back. I pushed through the hordes of people meet them, exhilarated by my recent encounter.

When I ran, it felt like I was _flying_ , propelled by my joy.

_Kuro-sama had given me a gift! A gift! I'm on top of the world!_

I didn't slow down when I eventually reached my family. In fact, I had stopped a little ahead of them, and when I heard my dad speak, I was still running.

"Why are you so happy?" He shouted over the buzz of noise that was a hodgepodge of people melted together.

"The music!" I chose to give them at least a half truth, exclaiming as I called over my shoulder, feeling fit to burst with euphoria, "it's the Kakariko village in the Legend of Zelda!"

I twirled toward a door that suddenly appeared. Strangely, when I was a few steps away from it, I woke up.


	3. Taiden Shite to Shita Yuzai- Guilty as Charged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being tested by a Kami that could easily disfigure you is a task not prepared for the faint of heart, especially a deity as powerful and as popular as Inari-no-Kami…

I found myself in the market again; the same market in which Kuro-sama had given me the tambourine. Only this time, the stalls were empty and the building was deathly silent. No people walked about.

Then, suddenly, the market disappeared, leaving a pitch black darkness in its place, and a frigid cold that made the temperature drop noticeably around me.

Icy winds touched my face as I moved around the now barren and featureless landscape. I wasn’t scared (not right now, not at this minute anyway) because I knew this was a dream, some sort of test which I would wake up from morning. Therefore, I didn’t let fear cloud my judgement as I continued to look for signs of life in the market, now cloaked as it was an all-consuming shadow.

The freezing touch of the cold winds remained close to my face as I continued exploring. Thinking my pursuit for signs of life was pointless, I then stopped moving and took a second to observe my surroundings.

 _Still nothing, still just black._ I concluded somewhat sadly, preparing to give up. _There is no one else here._

As if hearing my thoughts, the winds that surrounded me started becoming softer. I could no longer liken them to the biting, perilous winds that hailed from the Arctic. Yes, they were still unnervingly cold, but it had become more like the wind you feel against your face first thing in the morning; invigorating, encouraging. Weirdly, it felt like they had become sentient as well; it caressed my cheek, and I imagined someone’s hand moving across my skin in the soothing and loving motion. Feeling safe, I lent into the illusionary touch.

Comforted by this stranger, I continued moving on in the darkness. Without any kind of prelude, I began to hear footsteps. I strained my ears, trying to deduce where the sound had come from. They sounded like shoes hitting the ground with a dull thud, unhurried and leisurely. _Who must be wearing those shoes?_ I thought curiously.

The footsteps then became louder, making a sharper and clearer sound as they met with the floor. The previously indiscernible noise began to sound like a glockenspiel being tapped to make music.

The answer to my question then struck me like lightning out of the sky.

_Wood! They must be Kuro-sama’s sandals!_

Excited by this new development, I hurried forward to meet with Him once again. I saw a golden flame in the distance that flickered atop a simple wax candle. It shone brightly, enticing me to move forwards. As I moved closer towards it, the flame began to change shape and divide itself into two. After shifting and melding together for some minutes, the light was now a set of beady golden eyes

_I knew it! It is You!_

“Kuro-sama! Wait! Where are You going!” I yelled into the void.

Kuro-sama didn’t answer, (what I presumed to be) His shining eyes disappearing into the shadows of the darkened market.

“Kuro-sama! Where are You?” I shouted once more, beginning to panic.

Even though, as I said, I was beginning to panic, sense hadn’t completely left me just yet. I calmed down and listened, hoping for a good response from Him. In the ensuing silence, I could only catch fragments of the response coming from Kuro-sama.

“… Hope not… Disappointing.” Was all I heard. You could almost see the wistfulness coming from His voice. In that instant, I visualised Kuro-sama feeling ashamed of me and turning away, His head shaking and walking into the distance with a long-suffering sigh.

A soul crushing feeling of anxiety and shame hit me, one I can only compare with religious guilt.

_Not againnotagainnotagainpleasenonononotlike Vali againIcan’tdealwiththisdon’tsendmawayplease pleasepleaseI’llbe good good goodIpromisedon’texcommunicate me like Vali did please please please PLEASE!!!_

“I’m sorry Kuro-sama! I really am sorry!” I begged and cried.

There was no response from Him, except the fact that the air that soothed me a second ago had become had become frigid and biting once more. They stung like a slap in the face.

If I was calm at this point, I would have found it an apt opportunity to quote Wilfried Owen. As it was, I whispered one of his lines to myself as a comfort.

_“Oh, the merciless winds that knive us.”_

Having gathered enough courage to try apologising again, I bowed deeply as I possibly could and _screamed_ this time, but it came out more like a desperate wail of a banshee, hoping that somewhere, somehow, Kuro-sama would choose to reply with something more than a disappointed puff of air. It would sound better, I hoped, if I tried phrasing my apology at least partly in Japanese.

“Show me mercy!” I exclaimed at the top of my lungs, “I won’t disappoint You again, I swear! Gomen nasai!” My verbal supplication echoed across the empty space, bouncing off the walls as if they were glass.

No response. The winds became more forceful and pushed me backwards, making me fall over multiple times as I tried to get back up again, only to be knocked over by this force of nature. It continued to push against until I was on the edge of a precipice. My body tipped dangerously over the edge with no soft landing in sight. My hands attempted to grasp for something solid to hold, but to no avail.

“Fall seven times,” I began reciting the proverb, trying to muster up some confident that I could use to renew my effort against the wind. Alas, the wind hit me like a punch to the stomach, and I skidded across the last year metres of floor, tumbling over the edge as the 2nd part of it flew from my mouth like an SOS, as loud as a rooster’ s call in the morning, cutting through the air like a butter knife.

“STAND UP EIGHT!”

I woke up.

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT 30\09\2020: I added tags for Kuro-kun's blindness and one for the fact that it's just me talking about my dreams.  
> New paragraph added about me letting go of Kuro-kun's hand, because I've just remembered what happened. 
> 
> EDIT 09/12/20: All honorifics changed to fit Japanese honorific rules, from -chan to -kun, because Kuro-kun is a boy. It didn't bother anyone else, but it did bother me.
> 
> EDIT 28/02/21: Rant-y paragraph added about Fresno.
> 
> EDIT: 03/03/21: Added a 2nd chapter, changed the title and summary (for the 2nd time)
> 
> EDIT 04/03/21: Changed the honorifics for Kuro-sama again (from -kun to -sama) because I am now thoroughly convinced He is Inari-no-kami in the flesh, and it would be the highest form of disrespect if I addressed Him as anything otherwise.
> 
> With that being said, if you've noticed the fact that I didn't change Kuro-sama's honorific suffix from -kun to -sama for Chapter 1 that was because I was unsure if He was a Kami at the point of having that dream, and now I am sure.


End file.
